Skip to main content
HearingLife branding logo with a blue speech bubble icon.
Book

High-frequency hearing loss

Causes Symptoms Treatment Prevention Book appointment
Little girl whispering to an older woman impacted by high-frequency hearing loss.

What is high-frequency hearing loss?

People who suffer from high-frequency hearing loss have difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds. A notable consequence of this is that consonants become difficult to hear, meaning that others may sound like they are mumbling.

High-frequency hearing loss is often caused by age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss.

Cross-section of the human ear focusing on the cochlea, a key area affected in high-frequency hearing loss.
Woman undergoing a hearing test, wearing headphones and holding a response button.

Book a complimentary assessment for high-frequency hearing loss

Schedule a complimentary hearing assessment to find out if you have high-frequency or another type of hearing loss. We can suggest treatment options and help you understand your condition better.
Are you older than 55?

Step 1 of 6

A blue map icon displaying a white location pin with a circular cutout at its center, symbolizing navigation or locating nearby services, such as a HearingLife hearing clinic.
600+
locations nationwide
group of people icon with blue and green design
500,000+
satisfied customers
Hearing aid icon illustration.
30-day risk-free
hearing aid trial**
Person wearing headphones icon.
Complimentary
hearing assessment*

What causes high-frequency hearing loss?

High-frequency hearing loss can be caused by a wide range of health and lifestyle factors. Causes of high-frequency hearing loss include:

  • Aging
  • Genetics
  • Exposure to certain drugs
  • Syndromes
  • Diseases
  • Noise exposure
Low-frequency hearing loss

Preventing high-frequency hearing loss

While there are many health and lifestyle factors that can contribute to your risk for developing high-frequency hearing loss, there are steps that you can take to prevent it.

Using ear plugs (or other hearing protection) in excessively loud environments is a great way to protect your ears from damaging sound levels.

Signs and symptoms of high-frequency hearing loss

Struggling to follow conversations and understand what others say are two common signs of high-frequency hearing loss. Other signs include:

Group of adults smiling and conversing outdoors in bright daylight.
Difficulty following conversations
You have difficulty following group conversations (especially when background noise is present)
Man smiling while wearing earbuds and using a smartphone indoors.
Phone conversations are unclear
You have trouble following phone conversations in quiet and noisy places
Senior man with white hair touching his ear, indicating hearing or ear-related concern.
People seem to be mumbling
You often ask people to repeat themselves. Sounds seem unclear, or people sound like they are mumbling
Woman wearing a hearing aid and concentrating in a serene environment.
Difficulty locating sounds
You have difficulty locating where sounds are coming from
Ear with illustrated sound waves indicating discomfort or ringing.
Signs of tinnitus
You experience ringing or buzzing sounds in your ears (called tinnitus)
Elderly couple sitting on a couch, smiling and enjoying television together.
Turning up the TV too loud
Your friends or family say you turn the television up too loud
Audiologist offering hearing care advice to a woman in a clinic.

Treatment for high-frequency hearing loss

Our hearing care experts often recommend hearing aids as an effective treatment method for high-frequency hearing loss. More specifically, the hearing aids can be programmed to focus on amplifying higher frequency sounds, thereby allowing the hearing aid user to hear these sounds again.

Our hearing care experts will be able to provide the best guidance on which type of hearing aid is best for your individual needs.

Book appointment  Hearing loss treatment


Modern hearing aids for those with hearing loss

Oticon Zeal™

Meet the first hearing aid to do it all—unseen. Finally.

  • Discreet design that fits comfortably and securely in your ear.
  • Supports conversations using intelligent sound processing.
  • Connects to your favorite devices.
  • All-day power when you need it - enjoy up to 20 hours of battery life* and charge on the go.
  • Get tested and fitted on the spot, then take your hearing aids home the same day.
Book a risk-free trial Oticon Zeal™
Oticon Reveal™

Enjoying every moment has never been easier.

  • World-first Dual AI keeps voices and background sound in perfect balance
  • Designed to support the brain’s natural way of understanding sound
  • Packed with powerful, intuitive features to make listening feel easy
  • All-day battery and seamless connectivity to your devices
  • Discreet, lightweight, and comfortable
Book a risk-free trial Oticon Reveal™
Oticon Own SI™

Love your ears with our most discreet hearing aids to date.

  • Breakthrough AI technology trained on millions of complex sounds to provide a more natural representation of sound and speech.
  • Stabilization features designed to detect and manage disruptive noises so you can enjoy the moment without interruption.
  • Discreet design that is truly invisible in 9 out of 10 ears.6
Book a risk-free trial Oticon Own SI™
Maria wearing Oticon Intent hearing aids Maria wearing Oticon Intent hearing aids
Oticon Intent™

Oticon's next-generation hearing solution
Live fully and intentionally with a revolutionary hearing solution made to fit seamlessly into your life.

  • Experience improved speech quality and listening comfort.
  • Designed to be discreet, you can go about your daily life with confidence. 
  • Stay connected all day with fast charging and fast pairing to your other devices.‡
Book a risk-free trial Oticon Intent™
Oticon Zircon

Life-changing technology designed for celebration

It’s time to start socializing and celebrating a life filled with sound. Oticon Zircon delivers 360° speech and clear sound from all directions, even when in noisy environments, so you can focus on the sounds you love.

  • Powered by the Polaris™ platform – our most intelligent computer chip ever, offers more speed, precision and capacity
  • Includes an extensive range of connectivity options that allows you to connect to a wide range of devices
  • Available in your choice of rechargeable and non-rechargeable styles
Book a risk-free trial Oticon hearing aids
Oticon Jet PX™ hearing aid on a smiling woman Oticon Jet PX™ hearing aid on a smiling woman
Oticon Jet PX™

Oticon Jet PX gives you quality sound in an easy-to-use device. And with five different colors, you can choose the one that best matches your hair or skin:

  • Sleek behind-the-ear hearing aid style
  • A range of colors to choose from
  • Lower-cost for those with budget limitations
Book a risk-free trial Oticon Jet PX™

Relevant links

Hearing care specialist dressed in formal attire against a light green background.
Dr. Ryan Potter

About Ryan Potter, Au.D.
Ryan Potter, Au.D., has been a hearing care provider for over 18 years. He is Vice President of Audiology for HearingLife, leading the continuous growth and education of our hearing health care providers. He also leads the training of new generations of hearing health care providers through our Apprentice and Extern Programs. Click here to read his complete bio and learn more about his education and background.

Last reviewed 2025-07-01

Sources

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/14992027.2013.873956
  1. Home
  2. Hearing loss
  3. Types
  4. High frequency